The Miami Marlins (4-16) travel to face off against the Chicago Cubs (12-7) on Saturday, April 20th. This game will be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago and televised on BSFL. The Cubs are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Marlins are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Marlins. First pitch is set for 2:20 ET.

Marlins vs Cubs

Chicago cruised to an easy 8-3 win over the Marlins in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a huge 3rd inning, scoring four of their eight runs. As for the Marlins, they scored their only three runs in the 4th. Heading into the game, the Cubs were favored at -173 on the money line.

Jameson Taillon only went five innings for the Cubs but gave up just one run and three hits. He finished the game with four strikeouts but issued one walk. A.J. Puk had a rough outing for the Marlins, giving up seven runs in just three innings of work.

At the plate, the Cubs were led by Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner, as they were the only two Cubs hitters to have more than one hit. Swanson, Hoerner, and Cody Bellinger each had two RBIs for Chicago’s offense.

Miami is currently on a two-game losing streak and has a record of 4-16. In the NL East, they are in 5th place and trail the Braves by 10 games. So far, they have yet to win a series, going 0-6.

At home, the Marlins are 2-11 compared to 2-5 on the road. Miami is still looking for their first series win, and as the underdog, they are 4-9 this season.

When betting the run line on the Miami Marlins, it is best to take them as the underdog. They are 6-7 on the run line in those games. They are 0-7 as the favorite. Their average run differential in their wins is +4.2, but in their losses, it is -3.6.

The Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs combined for 11 runs in their game on Tuesday, going over the 9.5 run line. That result moved the Marlins’ over/under record to 12-8 on the season, with an average line of 8 runs per game. Miami’s games have averaged 9.3 runs per game this season, and 75% of their games have had higher lines than 8 runs.

Jesús Luzardo Gets The Start For The Marlins

After starting his season with a loss to the Yankees and then taking a no-decision in his last start, Jesús Luzardo will be on the road to face the Cubs. Luzardo has struck out 17 batters in 14 2/3 innings so far this season, but he has given up 3 home runs.

Marlins Offense Breakdown

Looking at the Marlins’ hitting projections, we have Luis Arraez as our top projected hitter in terms of total hits for not only the Marlins, but in the entire league today. Tim Anderson is 2nd on the team and 17th in the league in terms of total hits. Our top projected home run hitter for the Marlins is Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has the 8th highest home run projection in today’s slate of games. Josh Bell is 2nd on the team and 9th in the league in terms of home run projections.

With an overall record of 12-7, the Cubs are 2nd in the NL Central, just a half-game behind the Brewers. The Cubs head into today’s game on a two-game winning streak, closing out their series with the Diamondbacks with a win and picking up a win in the series opener with the Marlins.

Looking at Chicago’s series record, they have gone 4-2 so far. As the favorite, the Cubs are a perfect 5-0 this season, and they have won five straight games as the favorite. At home, they are 6-1 compared to 6-6 on the road.

When the Cubs are at home, they have been a solid bet against the run line this season, going 5-2. Their average run margin in home games is +3.9, and their run line record as the favorite is 4-1. In their last two home games, they have covered the run line, and they have gone 14-5 overall this season.

Chicago’s over/under record is 10-9 this season, and today’s line is set at 8 runs. The Cubs’ games have averaged 10.4 runs per game, and the over/under line has been set at 8 runs for their games on average. When the line has been set at 8 runs, the over/under record is 0-4. So far this season, 52.6% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8 runs.

Javier Assad Gets The Start For The Cubs

Javier Assad is getting the start for the Cubs at home against the Marlins. He has made 3 starts so far this season and has picked up a win in each of his first two outings. Assad has been solid, as he has yet to allow more than 2 earned runs in any start and has 18 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings of work.

Cubs Offense Breakdown

When it comes to the Cubs’ offensive projections, we have Michael Busch as our top candidate to hit a home run, as his home run projection is 4th best in the league today. Garrett Cooper is 9th in the league in terms of home run projections. Cody Bellinger is 10th in the league in terms of home run projections. Nick Madrigal has the best hits projection on the team, and his hits projection is 25th best in the league today.

Marlins vs Cubs Prediction

Our prediction for today’s Marlins vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Cubs on the money line at -158. We have the Cubs winning this one by a final score of 6-5. Offensively, the Cubs have the edge in terms of projected home runs, and they are also expected to finish with more hits than the Marlins.

If you’re looking for a starting pitcher to have a big game, we have Jesús Luzardo finishing with seven strikeouts compared to Javier Assad with five. However, we have Assad going deeper into the game, as Luzardo is projected to go six innings compared to Assad going 5 2/3 innings.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.